Our Management Team

Social Value Consultant, Army

Sarah is one of the UK's leading experts on the use of social value in public sector procurement, with almost 30 years of experience in communications, politics, public policy making and community engagement. She is the host of the podcast "Let's Talk Social Value" and the founder and CEO of Samtaler, a fast-growing Social Value consultancy which helps large public sector suppliers deliver social, economic and environmental benefits through the delivery of their contracts. Clients include Oracle, Airbus, Thales, and Capita. Before starting Samtaler, she founded and ran McNeill and Stone, a social enterprise which helped community groups and grassroots campaigners to access the political system. 

Sarah served as External Adviser to David Cameron until her husband’s military service prompted her to leave Downing Street in 2012. Later, she held a senior position on the successful campaign to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom before advising Ruth Davidson during a number of high-profile election campaigns in Scotland. 

Sarah began her career by joining the Royal Signals at the age of 18 before completing a War Studies degree at Kings College London. Early career highlights included working for the specialist risk consultancy Control Risks Group, and the Imperial War Museum followed by a stint in Event Management. She has been married to a serving member of the British Army since 2007 and has worked since 2015 to actively advocate and improve the experiences of military families. She is the founder of the Military Coworking Network, which runs coworking spaces in Army, Navy and RAF bases. In 2018 she collected data on the lived experience of over 2,200 military spouses across the UK, supporting research by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Defence Maritime Consultant, Royal Navy

Hannah Riekemann-Wood began her professional journey with a degree in drama, driven by a passion for storytelling and performance. However, her career soon took a different direction when she joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2014 as a deck officer, drawn by the challenge and adventure of life at sea. During her service, she rose to the rank of Second Officer, playing a key role in a range of global operations, including counter-narcotics and anti-piracy patrols, mine clearance support on OP KIPION and humanitarian assistance efforts in the Caribbean in 2017 and 2020.

Her time at sea not only developed her leadership and operational expertise but also led to meeting her husband, a military officer. Together, they navigated life in the maritime services until Hannah moved ashore two years ago following the birth of their child.

Now working as a defence maritime consultant and part time maritime patrol officer in the local area, Hannah brings operational insight and strategic thinking to her role while continuing to champion issues close to her heart. She is a dedicated advocate for equality in the maritime and defence sectors, with a particular focus on improving policies, support and opportunities for mothers and parents to be able to continue their careers post parenthood. Her lived experience fuels her commitment to driving cultural change in the sector and supporting an inclusive environment for working parents and their partners.

As a Volunteer Advisory Board Member for the MCN, she looks forward to listening to members’ needs, advocating for military spouses and raising awareness of the crucial role the MCN plays in supporting the partners of military personnel- the often forgotten heroes keeping the wheels on the bus and striving to continue their careers.